UGCNET Questions

Teaching is called a science because it is guided by psychological and pedagogical principles that have been researched and tested. At the same time, it is an art because the teacher must creatively adapt these principles to unique classroom situations. Teachers reflect on experience, adjust strategies and bring personal style into their teaching. This blend of theory and creativity justifies the description of teaching as both art and science.

Option A:
This option ignores the role of creativity and reflection, emphasising only rigid formulas. In reality, strict application of rules without sensitivity to learners seldom leads to meaningful learning. Therefore, it fails to capture the artistic side of teaching.

Option B:
This option correctly highlights the dual nature of teaching. The scientific dimension provides frameworks for understanding learning and instruction, while the artistic dimension allows flexible, context sensitive implementation. Together, they recognise that effective teaching is neither purely mechanical nor purely intuitive.

Option C:
This option denies the importance of theoretical understanding, which is essential for informed practice. Without knowledge of learning principles, teachers may rely solely on trial and error, leading to inconsistent outcomes.

Option D:
This option treats teaching as entirely a matter of talent and implies that training has little value. Research shows that professional development significantly enhances teaching effectiveness, so training cannot be dismissed.

Context includes all background conditions that influence how messages are produced and understood. In a classroom, this involves physical setting, institutional norms, cultural expectations and prior relationships between teacher and students. These elements shape the meaning of words and nonverbal cues and help participants interpret each other’s intentions correctly.

Option A:
Option A reduces context to mere physical distance. Distance is one small part of the situation, but by itself it does not capture the social and cultural factors that strongly affect meaning.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it recognises context as the broader situational, social and cultural environment in which communication occurs and messages are interpreted.

Option C:
Option C focuses only on grammatical structure, which belongs to language form rather than the surrounding conditions in which messages are exchanged.

Option D:
Option D restricts context to the use of nonverbal gestures, but gestures are only one type of message, not the entire environment that frames communication.

The average of three numbers is the sum of the numbers divided by 3. If the average is 25, then the total sum must be 25 × 3 = 75. The two known numbers are 20 and 30, whose sum is 50. Subtracting 50 from 75 gives 25, so the third number must be 25.

Option A:
Option A, 25, exactly matches the required third number, because 20 + 30 + 25 = 75 and 75 ÷ 3 = 25. It is therefore the correct choice.

Option B:
Option B, 20, would give a total of 20 + 20 + 30 = 70, and 70 ÷ 3 does not equal the required average of 25, so this choice fails the given condition.

Option C:
Option C, 30, leads to 20 + 30 + 30 = 80, giving an average of 80 ÷ 3, which is greater than 25 and inconsistent with the stated mean.

Option D:
Option D, 35, produces a total of 20 + 30 + 35 = 85, resulting in an average greater than 25, again contradicting the problem’s information.

ICT tools can offer dynamic representations, immediate feedback and varied forms of practice for learners. Interactive simulations allow students to experiment with concepts and see results instantly. Online quizzes provide quick checks of understanding and can be used for formative assessment. The primary goal is to make learning more engaging and interactive, not to eliminate the teacher or planning.

Option A:
This option incorrectly suggests that ICT should remove human interaction. In reality, meaningful discussion and guidance remain essential, even in technology-rich environments.

Option B:
This option is correct because it clearly states that ICT is a means to enrich learning experiences. When aligned with objectives and pedagogy, technology can support deeper conceptual understanding and learner participation. It complements, rather than replaces, the teacher’s role.

Option C:
This option implies that technology use can substitute for planning, which is misleading. Effective integration of ICT requires careful selection of tools to meet specific learning goals.

Option D:
This option treats gadget use as an end in itself. Without reflection and guidance, extensive gadget use may distract rather than support learning.

A proposition is a declarative sentence that can be classified as either true or false. Questions, commands and exclamations do not qualify because they do not assert anything with a truth value. “Is it raining outside?” is an interrogative sentence that seeks information rather than stating a fact. Therefore, it cannot be evaluated as true or false in its own right and is not a proposition.

Option A:
Option A is a factual statement about a number that can be checked as true or false and therefore is a proposition.

Option B:
Option B asserts a general claim about birds that may be false in reality but still has a truth value, making it a proposition.

Option C:
Option C is a question and does not assert a claim, so it lacks a truth value and falls outside the class of propositions.

Option D:
Option D is a factual statement about boiling point under specified conditions, which again can be evaluated as true or false and thus is propositional.

Vyāpti expresses the general, law like connection between hetu and sādhya across relevant cases, whereas pakṣadharmatā demands that the particular pakṣa actually possesses the hetu. Both are needed: without vyāpti, the hetu has no probative force; without pakṣadharmatā, the general relation cannot be applied to the case at hand.

Option A:
Option A swaps the ideas and confuses pakṣadharmatā with the sapakṣa condition; presence in pakṣa is pakṣadharmatā, not vyāpti.

Option B:
Option B correctly contrasts the global hetu–sādhya relation (vyāpti) with the local requirement that the hetu qualify the subject under discussion (pakṣadharmatā).

Option C:
Option C incorrectly claims that vyāpti is only about negatives and pakṣadharmatā only about positives; both concepts involve how the hetu and sādhya are related in various cases, not such a crude split.

Option D:
Option D mischaracterises the distinction by tying vyāpti to perception and pakṣadharmatā to testimony; both notions are structural features of inference, not names for different pramāṇas.

Upward communication flows from lower levels of an organizational hierarchy to higher levels. When teachers collect and forward students’ feedback or issues to the principal, information moves from the operational level to the leadership level. This helps administrators understand ground realities and make informed decisions. Therefore, this example clearly represents upward communication within an educational institution.

Option A:
Option A, principal issuing new rules to all teachers, is a classic example of downward communication, where directives and policies flow from higher authority to subordinate staff. It is not upward communication.

Option B:
Option B involves teachers, who occupy a lower administrative position, sending information to the principal, who occupies a higher position. This direction from lower to higher level is the defining feature of upward communication, making the example appropriate for the concept.

Option C:
Option C, teachers sharing lesson plans among themselves, illustrates horizontal communication, which occurs between individuals at similar levels in the hierarchy rather than upward or downward.

Option D:
Option D, government broadcasting educational messages on television, is an example of mass communication directed to the public at large. It is not part of the internal upward communication structure of a single educational institution.

Channel richness refers to the capacity of a communication medium to provide immediate feedback, multiple cues such as tone and gestures, and personal focus. Face to face discussion allows teachers and students to see facial expressions, hear vocal nuances and respond instantly to each other, so it is considered the richest channel for complex or sensitive topics.

Option A:
Option A (email) allows thoughtful, documented messages, but feedback is delayed and nonverbal cues are limited to writing style and emoticons, so the channel is less rich.

Option B:
Option B (printed handouts) is a one-way written channel that provides information but no built-in mechanism for immediate feedback or observation of nonverbal responses.

Option C:
Option C is correct because face to face classroom discussion offers immediate feedback and combines verbal and nonverbal cues, making it the richest channel among the options.

Option D:
Option D (notice on website) is also one-way, impersonal communication; students typically cannot respond in real time, so the channel has low richness.

An OPAC replaces traditional card catalogues with a computerised interface that users can query by author, title, subject or keywords. It allows faster and more flexible searching for items in the collection. In some systems, the OPAC can be accessed remotely as well. Therefore, its primary function is to support searching the library’s holdings.

Option A:
Automated issue and return of books may be handled by circulation modules or self-check machines, which are separate though related systems. OPAC itself focuses on discovery, not on every circulation function.

Option B:
Playing online games is not an intended academic use of library computers and has nothing to do with catalogue searching. This behaviour does not represent the purpose of an OPAC.

Option C:
This option correctly identifies search as the core service offered by OPAC. It reflects modern practice in ICT-based library management where users locate items via terminals or web interfaces.

Option D:
Changing curricula is an academic governance task and cannot be done simply by interacting with the library catalogue.

“BY” in Creative Commons licences requires attribution, meaning users must acknowledge the original author. “NC” stands for non-commercial, limiting use to contexts that do not involve direct commercial advantage or monetary compensation. Together, BY-NC licences support wide educational and personal use while restricting commercial exploitation. ICT platforms clearly display these terms so users understand their rights and responsibilities.

Option A:
Option A correctly interprets both parts of the licence code and aligns with official explanations from Creative Commons. It reflects how many educators share resources for teaching but not for resale.

Option B:
Option B ignores both attribution and non-commercial requirements, contradicting the licence conditions.

Option C:
Option C treats the resource as completely closed, whereas BY-NC explicitly allows many forms of reuse.

Option D:
Option D introduces mandatory fees, which are not a built-in feature of BY-NC licences; many such works are freely downloadable.

E-mail and LMS platforms are examples of information and communication technologies that allow teachers and students to exchange messages without being in the same place or time. This computer-mediated communication can extend classroom interaction beyond physical boundaries.

Option A:
Option A limits communication to face-to-face interaction only, which does not match the use of e-mail or LMS, where interaction is mediated by technology and can be asynchronous.

Option B:
Option B is correct because e-mail and LMS are forms of computer-mediated communication that extend classroom interaction beyond physical meetings and fixed timings.

Option C:
Option C refers to mass communication through television channels, which is one-way broadcast to large audiences, not two-way online communication between teacher and students.

Option D:
Option D speaks about nonverbal communication using gestures. E-mail and LMS are primarily text-based and may include digital resources, but not mainly gestures.

Physical noise such as traffic or construction can interfere with audibility. Closing doors and windows reduces external sounds entering the classroom, and adjusting one’s voice or using a microphone helps maintain a clear signal for students. These actions directly address the physical environment and thus reduce noise.

Option A:
Option A, speaking in a low volume despite noise, makes it harder for students to hear and actually increases the impact of noise on the message.

Option B:
Option B is correct because it actively reduces external noise and strengthens the teacher’s voice, improving the signal-to-noise ratio in the classroom.

Option C:
Option C, ignoring external sounds and continuing without any adjustment, assumes the noise will not affect comprehension, which is unrealistic when background sound is high.

Option D:
Option D allows side conversations, adding internal classroom noise that competes with the teacher’s voice and makes listening more difficult.

To find how many students like at least one of the two subjects, we use the inclusion–exclusion principle. We add those who like each subject and subtract those counted twice in the overlap: 22 + 18 − 10 = 30 students. These 30 students like Mathematics, Science or both.

Option A:
Option A, 30, is the direct result of applying inclusion–exclusion and correctly represents the number who like at least one of the two subjects.

Option B:
Option B, 32, would correspond to assuming an overlap of 8 instead of 10, which contradicts the given overlap and misuses the data.

Option C:
Option C, 40, assumes that every student likes at least one of the subjects, which is not stated and need not be true.

Option D:
Option D, 50, exceeds the total number of students in the group, so it is impossible.

Upamāna is typically defined as the means of knowing the relation between a word and its denotatum through similarity, often illustrated by the gavaya (wild ox) example. One first hears “a gavaya is like a cow but lives in the forest,” and later, on seeing such an animal, recognises “this is a gavaya” by comparison. This involves neither straightforward perception alone nor ordinary inference; it is a special comparison based cognition.

Option A:
Option A describes inference (anumāna) from smoke to fire, not comparison, so it does not exemplify upamāna.

Option B:
Option B correctly presents the classic gavaya case, where comparison between a known cow and a new animal allows us to fix the meaning of the word “gavaya.”

Option C:
Option C concerns śabda pramāṇa, where valid testimony from scripture or a trusted person produces knowledge.

Option D:
Option D involves smṛti, or memory, which is recollection of a past event rather than fresh knowledge gained by comparison.

Gatekeepers are individuals or roles that decide which messages are allowed to pass through a communication channel and how they are framed. Their decisions shape what information others receive and in what form.

Option A:
Option A says gatekeepers ensure all messages reach everyone without filtering, which is the opposite of gatekeeping. Gatekeeping involves selection, not full openness.

Option B:
Option B is correct because gatekeepers control which messages are selected, shaped and allowed to pass through channels to wider audiences.

Option C:
Option C restricts gatekeepers to technical support roles, which may manage equipment but not the selection of messages.

Option D:
Option D suggests that gatekeepers never modify or interpret messages, while in reality they often edit, frame or prioritize information.